UTSI - HR Recruiting Specialist

The HR Recruiting Specialist serves as a subject matter expert on recruitment best practices and works in close collaboration with the UTK Recruiting Office to ensure alignment with university policies and compliance standards. This role also tracks recruitment data, recommends process improvements, and delivers training to support inclusive and effective hiring practices across the campus.

This position provides full-cycle recruitment services for the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI), supporting staff, student, and temporary hiring. The HR Recruiting Specialist is responsible for sourcing candidates, screening applications, advising hiring departments, and coordinating on-boarding processes. In addition to managing UTSI's recruitment operations, the position develops outreach strategies, cultivates community partnerships, and represents the institute at job fairs and educational events. 

Recruitment Services 

• Provides full-cycle recruitment services for UTSI staff and student positions, from position development through on-boarding. 
• Collaborates with departments to update or develop position descriptions and routes them to the HR Manager for classification review prior to posting. 
• Develops job postings and submits requisitions in DASH; partners with the HR RBP recruiter to ensure timely posting in DASH. Responsible for posting faculty positions in Interfolio, Jobs4TN and all other job platforms such as LinkedIn and Zip-Recruiter. 
• Screens applicants for minimum qualifications and supports hiring managers and search committees in identifying top candidates. 
• Coordinates the logistics of the search process, including identifying appropriate search committee members, establishing search timelines, setting up ORC access, and assisting with interview question development. 
• Manages candidate movement in ORC and works with UTK Recruiting to finalize offers, enter disposition codes, and close out postings. 
• Communicates regularly with applicants to provide updates, resolve technical issues such as uploading documents, and troubleshoot delays in the hiring process (e.g., background checks). 
• Coordinates on-boarding activities by confirming start dates, collecting employment documentation, and facilitating a positive candidate experience. 
• Advises search committee chairs and hiring managers on recruitment best practices and compliance expectations. 
• Develops and delivers recruitment and search committee training for supervisors and staff. 
• Maintains close coordination with UTK Recruiting to stay informed of system-wide recruitment guidance, policies, and changes to hiring processes and all other duties that apply.

Community Partnerships

• Serves as UTSI’s lead representative at community events, job fairs, educational institutions, and workforce development forums to build awareness of career opportunities and actively recruit diverse talent. 
• Researches and maintains a calendar of community events, local hiring fairs, and academic outreach opportunities across the region. 
• Proactively identifies new venues and partnerships for potential candidate pipelines. 
• Plans and coordinates UTSI’s presence at events in collaboration with department representatives, ensuring recruitment messaging aligns with institutional goals. 
• Develops recruitment materials, including flyers, brochures, banners, and digital assets, to promote UTSI opportunities.  
• Cultivates relationships with career services staff, community leaders, educational institutions, and workforce partners to support long-term recruitment strategies and referral networks. 
• Engages directly with prospective candidates at events, collecting resumes and contact information, answering questions about open roles, and promoting the benefits of working at UTSI. 
• Follows up with potential candidates post-event to provide application support, connect them with appropriate departments, and track interest levels for future opportunities. 
• Maintains a candidate interest database for outreach and pipeline building. 
• Tracks outreach efforts and shares metrics and qualitative insights with the HR Manager to evaluate event success and inform future engagement strategies. 

Other Responsibilities

• Tracks key recruitment metrics and maintains internal dashboards and spreadsheets to monitor hiring progress, candidate flow, time-to-fill, and outreach effectiveness. 
• Analyzes data to identify trends, barriers, or delays in the hiring process and provides actionable recommendations to improve efficiency, candidate experience, and pipeline diversity. 
• Regularly reviews and audits recruitment-related tools (e.g., templates, automated communications, web pages) and collaborates with the HR Manager and UTK Recruitment to update resources as needed. 
• Participates in recruitment team meetings and serves as a liaison to UTK on identifying and resolving process inefficiencies that impact search success or compliance. 
• Assists with onboarding new hires by confirming offer details, ensuring new hire paperwork is complete, answering questions, and coordinating first-day logistics with departments. 
• Communicates with new hires to provide a welcoming experience and serves as a point of contact throughout the transition from offer acceptance to their official start date.

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s Degree
• One-year of Human Resources experience or direct experience supporting search processes
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment visa status

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience with recruiting practices in a higher education environment
• Professional in Human Resources (PHR) or Senior PHR (SPHR) or equivalent certification

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of employment related federal & state law and EEOC regulations 
• Knowledge of applicant tracking and HRIS tools 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, organizational skills, and MS Office skills 
• Ability to source and cultivate candidates from diverse backgrounds 
• Ability to multi-task, facilitate training/meetings, and interpret policy 
• Ability to be flexible/objective in a high-pressure environment 
• Analytical skills for data management

Work Location 

• Location: Tullahoma, TN
• Onsite 

Compensation and Benefits 

• UT market range: MR08
• Anticipated hiring range: $45,000.00 - $55,000.00
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions: 

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted on or before September 1, 2025

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• List of 3 Professional References

About The Division: The UT Space Institute is a vibrant research, education, and innovation center of excellence, located on a satellite campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT), in Tullahoma, Tennessee, adjacent to the epicenter of US aerospace ground testing at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC). UTSI is:

• Dedicated to advancing Tennessee’s leadership role in aerospace and defense and equipping graduates with expertise in related fields. 
• Supporting AEDC in maintaining state of the art expertise in both technical and managerial ranks, providing critical educational support toward AEDC’s national mission for the Department of Defense, NASA, and the aerospace industry.
• Uniquely poised to meet the needs of the US Space Force by preparing a world-class workforce in East Tennessee and beyond, and advancing the technologies and systems necessary to protect US and allied interests in space. 
• Playing a pivotal role in the land-grant mission of UT, ensuring the creation of economic growth and workforce development opportunities for underserved communities in middle and east Tennessee.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service. 

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.  

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices that attract and retain a diverse community and that support a culture where everyone matters and belongs.  

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as “Best Employer for New Graduates,” “One of America’s Best Large Employers,” and “Best Workplace for Women,” and has been designated as “Best Place for Working Parents” by Forbes Magazine.  

Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!